Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Part A- 40 Lies to Deny Women Equal Rights.

I have been directed to a website which is just... ridiculous. It's an e-book labeled as "101 reasons not to have an abortion." A lot of them are lies, a lot of them are random questions, a lot of them are meaningless. Of course I have more important things to do, but I think it'd be fun to respond to as many of these as I can!

Reason #1: The benefits of abortion are outnumbered

Outnumbered by what? The real problem I see right off the bat, is that instead of defending this position (after the statement there is a paragraph "explanation"), the author has simply pieced together her other reasons into sentences. So basically, this reason is also reasons 2, 9, 12, 20, 21, 22, 23, 89... etc. So it's not really a reason at all.

Reason #2: We know when life begins

Who is "we?" There are people who claim that life begins at fertilization (before pregnancy has even started). Other people say life begins when the brain starts to function. Other people say life begins at birth (this seems to be the Biblical claim). Other people say life begins 3 days AFTER birth when the child is dedicated and named. Which "we" is correct?

Reason #3: You have been lied to

Well if they're reading this, absolutely. Otherwise, claiming that every woman has been lied to about abortion is to demean her and act as if she's a fool. Not sure how that's a good thing for women.

Reason #4: Abortion clinics are allowed to lie to you

No they are not. Clinics are medical facilities, and antichoice people have put in lots of effort to limit their speech and abilities. Clinic workers are not allowed to lie to you (except, ironically, in cases where they are required by law to "inform" the patient of things such as fetal pain and abortion-breast cancer links, which ARE lies).

Reason #5: Most women want support not abortion

The "explanation" for this basically says the same thing as the one below, oddly. My response- women can have support and choose abortion. No one should be forced into an abortion, I hold that absolutely true. But when given all the opportunities to carry to term and/or raise a child, some women will choose abortion anyway. And that's their choice.

Reason #6: Abortion is an unwanted choice

Again a lie. Many women choose abortion because they want to choose abortion.

Reason #7: No one likes abortion

This may be true in some sense of the word- I don't know anyone who has abortions for fun. But a lot of people DO like that abortion is legal. And they DO like that they had access to that legal abortion. Since when is not liking something the best reason to not do it? I don't like eating my vegetables... should no one eat vegetables?

Reason #8: If only you could see what she looks like

First off- "she?" Here we go with the emotional appeals. Secondly, 60% of women who abort already have kids- they've seen the ultrasounds, and know exactly what's going on. Between that and all the fetal development websites available, this is just another insult to women's intelligence.

Reason #9: It’s not just a bunch of cells!

Yes it is. Then again, so are you and I.

Reason #10: Your baby exists now, not in the future

No, a baby does not exist now. A fetus exists now.

Reason #11: A fetus is a human and humans are persons

This is one of those things you can't prove- "a fetus is a human." What makes it a human? The brain it doesn't have? We are more than just DNA.

Reason #12: Abortion in the physical sense is also abortion in the spiritual sense.

This claims the knowledge that God is against abortion. The Bible doesn't mention abortion at all, so to be so sure is uncalled for. Even further, the explanation for this one claims that anyone who doesn't believe that personhood begins at conception (which cannot be found ANYWHERE in the Bible) is godless. What an awful, baseless, factless, lying claim.

Reason #13: At what point is it too late to abort?

This isn't a reason against abortion, so much as a reason for a woman to get an ultrasound to find out how far she's along. The majority of abortions happen before 12 weeks, and thus this comment is irrelevant to most women.

Reason #14: So what if the baby isn’t viable yet?

I have no idea why this is a reason not to abort. It's not a reason, it's just a question which is entirely irrelevant.

Reason #15: Abortion is not an act of love

Tell that to the parents of Grace: http://www.truthout.org/1203097

Reason #16: Do you kill a child for their own good?

Fetuses are not children, thus this comment makes no sense.

Reason #17: Ignorance is bliss, until you discover the truth

Again- 60% of women who abort already have a child, they know the truth of where pregnancy leads. Between that and the internet and the (required) counseling at the clinic, women are knowledgeable. This is a third statement which relies upon claiming women are ignorant fools.

Reason #18: Is this what you really want?

Good question. I think a woman should consider this. If abortion is what she really wants, then that's her right.

Reason #19: There are practical options to make things work for you

In some cases, yes. But not for everyone. The assumption that everyone has access to funding and help is not a good one, because it leads us to inaction. As well, for people who do have access to assistance in carrying a pregnancy to term- not everyone wants to. That's the woman's choice.

Reason #20: There is a plan

Yup. And sometimes, it includes abortion!

Reason #21: To fulfill her plan your child needs to be born

Again with the "her" emotional appeal. Secondly, who is this author- God? I don't think so. This is a straight out lie with nothing to back it up.

Reason #22: Maybe you are pregnant for a reason

Maybe she is. That doesn't mean the woman is required to carry to term. Many women suffer miscarriages and people tell them "this has purpose, there's a reason this happened."

Reason #23: Being young and pregnant isn’t the worst thing in the world

For most people, this is probably true. That doesn't mean anyone should have to suffer when they don't want to. Just because a girl could live through being a teen parent doesn't mean we should force her to be a teen parent.

Reason #24: It’s better to be alive with one parent than dead with two

That's an opinion. Some of us would rather die to allow both of our parents to live.

Reason #25: Abortion is about a woman’s body, but…

But what? There is no but.

Reason #26: Pro-choicers admit abortion is killing

For some people this might be an issue. Those people are probably already prolife, and already going to carry to term.

Reason #27: Women know that abortion kills a baby

No, abortion does not kill a baby. Abortion terminates a pregnancy. There are no babies in pregnancy.

Reason #28: God will forgive but there are still consequences

"consequences"- is this a threat of afterlife punishments from an author who obviously doesn't understand God's position on choice? Again? Guess what, there are "consequences" of pregnancy too.

Reason #29: Abortion may affect your future fertility

"May"- yes. In all likeliness, though, it wont. There is no medical proof that abortion is dangerous to a woman's fertility.

Reason #30: Abortion carries risks

As does childbirth, as well as parenting and adoption. This is not, itself, a reason not to abort so much as a reason for all women to consider all their options.

Reason #31: Abortion is not safer than childbirth

Well there's another straight out lie. Abortion IS safer than childbirth. http://www.emedicinehealth.com/abortion/article_em.htm That doesn't mean women should be denied childbirth, it just means women should be allowed to make their own choice.

Reason #32: Abortion isn’t a quick fix

Who said they were using abortion as a quick fix?

Reason #33: Abortion clinics target you when you are vulnerable and desperate

I don't know a single clinic which targets women. They list their services in the phone book and online, and the woman come to them. There is no targeting involved.

Reason #34: Abortion is an irreversible choice

So is childbirth.

Reason #35: Counseling at abortion clinics is a joke

Has this author gone through counseling? The only reason it's a "joke" is because of antichoice laws which require clinic workers to lie to women.

Reason #36: ‘Freedom to choose’ does not tell you what you have the freedomto choose

Okay. Here you go: You have the freedom to choose, when you are pregnant, between abortion and carrying a pregnancy to term. BAM!

Reason #37: It’s your choice!

This is supposed to be a reason against abortion?

Reason #38: You are not alone

Hopefully, this is correct. Why someone thinks it's a reason against abortion, I cannot understand.

Reason #39: Some things in life are wrong

Yes, some things in life are wrong. Abortion, by the Bible and by US law, isn't one of those things.

Reason #40: Are you getting an abortion for someone else?

I think this might be the second one- out of 40 thus far- that I agree with. Women should be aborting because they choose to abort, not because someone else wants them to abort.

4 comments:

You're awesome. It must have been a relief to go through and refute all those fallacious claims. I can't believe some people seriously think those are reasons to outlaw abortions. Some of them are, at best, reasons why one wouldn't abort their own fetus - not a reason to prevent others from making their own choice. Of course, most of the reasons presented here are utter bullshit, they are just lies. And of course a large percentage of them are irrelevant.

It's not an actual print book, but merely an online PDF file ("book"). I doubt very many people even knew about it until recently. It's possible, but I have a hard time imaging that anyone was convinced by this to not abort.

About Me

I'm a Pro-choice Christian who wants to reduce the need for elective abortions through comprehensive sex education, reformed adoption and better support for pregnant women!
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